Monday, June 23, 2008

Sorry I missed the Sunday Sound Out. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I just had a really busy weekend. So, without further ado....

all these cool sites/blogs everyone is posting is soo going to get me in trouble. How am I supposed to get anything done around the house with all these new blogs to visit??You're not! That's the beauty of it.

Now a question for SSO: Did you nurse all of your children and for how long?Yep, I nursed them all for varying lengths of time. Brooklyn was the longest at 15 months.

Hey! You should do a blog on regional lingo. My mother-in-law is from New York and says "stand on line" as opposed to "stand in line". She also says "pocketbook" as opposed to "purse".ROFL! My good friend Denise lives on Long Island and when we were in Minnesota a couple months ago, she said to our waitress, "I'd like a seltzah with lemon."The waitress asked, "What?""A seltzah with lemon, please."The waitress looked thoroughly confused and looked to the rest of us for clarification. Unfortunately we were just as stumped as she was."A seltzah! Seltzah!" Denise couldn't figure out why no one knew what the heck she was talking about."Ohhhh. I think she wants a seltzer. Is that right, Denise?""Duh.""What's seltzer? Is that like soda?"It was pretty funny, wasn't it Denise? ;) LOL!(Then she reached into her pocketbook to pay for it.)

SSO question: Does Jackson not like getting his hair cut or is it you that likes it long? I noticed your other boys have their hair short and he's the only one who doesn't.I have no idea. He wants it long. Whatever. It's just hair which is certainly not worth fighting about in my opinion. I'm just going to start calling him Jackie.

Question for the next SSO: What bizarre things have you said to your kids that you never would have imagined the need to say? For example, we have been heard telling our 2 1/2 year old: "A sock is not a tissue," "No eating snow/ice that's been on the ground for five days!" and "Toothpaste does not go in your eye!"Here's a list of a few things.

One other Q: Are you a member of the Fiengold Program and if so do you think that it is worth the almost $100 a year? I am. I'm not sure if it's worth it though. I like that Feingold takes the guesswork out of figuring out what products/brands have artificial ingredients, but you can just read labels to figure out the same thing. However, as Feingold points out, some artificial ingredients are kinda hidden in food because manufacturers don't necessarily list every thing on the label. The actual product names in the Feingold book are products that they've researched. You can also use their message boards to get recipes, ask questions, and get support and answers from other members.

Wow all 6 to the dentist at the same time?? What were you thinking? Clearly, I wasn't.

I have to say that baby over on the right with the chocolate all over it's face just cracks me up, is that one of yours??? LOL Yep, that's Brooklyn.

Is it bad that I'm giggling as I'm picturing you with the six kids at the dentist on a conference call? Really, I wish you luck (which reminds me that I need to call my dentist tomorrow to schedule a check up, thanks!).Shall I assume that you've officially started back on the Feingold diet? No, it's good that you're giggling. I love when my misery can make others laugh. ;)And oh yeah, we're back to the diet!

I'm sorry for the rough day! Will Jackson resist going back on the diet now that he's had a little taste of "freedom"? Or does he see the changes in himself and want to get back to feeling calmer? He's resisting despite the fact that he knows it helps him out. It's tough. I rarely buy anything off the diet to have in the house. I cook the same way for all of us. But then the other kids complain that they don't get junk food because of Jackson and why are they getting punished. If I let them have something off the diet, then Jackson gets upset that they get something that he can't have. I try really hard to make additive-free alternatives to whatever they crave. If they want Twinkies, for example, I make sponge cake and cream filling from scratch for them. Still, it's tough. We really stick to the diet at home, but I let the other kids have contraband goodies if they're out without Jackson.

Are there any summer camps in your town. We have several day summer camps that the rec center puts on. It would give you a "break" from some of the kids and it's educational too. That's true and we do have several camps and activities I could sign them up for. Last year I put them in summer school for the first time ever. Honestly though, I actually do like having our days free so we can just pick up and go someplace and do something fun whenever we want. I don't like getting up and going early in the morning. Besides, if I sign one kid up for a camp, I have to sign them all up and it gets pretty pricey to do that.

P.s. Box there yet? Jenn T. Yes! And I couldn't find what I did with your email to thank you. (This woman, Jenn, sent my kids a box of information and goodies all the way from Alaska. And check this out - Jenn not only lost 83 pounds (which is an amazing feat in itself!), but she competed in her first triathlon in May. Not only did she compete, but she crossed the finish line in only 87 minutes!Inspiring, no?)Thank you Jenn!

Austin sounds like a hoot. Does he keep the other kids in stitches? No, he's usually the kind of guy who can't walk down the hall without reaching out and slapping a passing sibling. Then, when I yell "Austin!", he looks at me with mock innocence and says, "What? What did I do? I was just walking down the hall!"

So this comment has nothing to do with your post but… I read this article in the Trib and thought of you. Algonquin and Lockport are both getting a Sonic. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu-sonic-jun19,0,6796223.storyWoo Hoo! They're building them in Country Club Hills and Aurora too! Yay!

Okay, that running narrative is pretty freaking funny! Go Austin :) Keep being strange. You'll be a wonderful adult who thinks outside the box someday.Ha! Outside the box, you say? In kindergarten, Austin came home with a paper that had a picture of a dog, a cat, a fish, and a table. It read, "Circle the one that does not belong." He had circled the fish. I asked him why he circled the fish. It was clearly the table that didn't belong. He looked at me like I was stupid and said, "a fish doesn't have four legs." And so it began.

Given that finances play the largest role in determining where you live, have you guys considered moving now that your writing career is off to a successful start? I'm sure any day now the older two kids will be dying for space of their own. P.S. Your house always looks great in pics-better than mine and all I have is a husband and two dogs!I think we'd have to get divorced first as I want to live someplace warm and very close to the ocean. Joe, on the other hand, would be content in the snowy mountains. And thank you, but nope, my house if pretty much ALWAYS messy!

Question -Do you still sell on ebay as that is how I first heard of your blog.And if so, what is your selling name now - just so I can have a good laugh....(in the nicest sense!) :)I haven't sold anything in a long time. I have a few things to sell right now, but I just haven't found the time to list them. My ID is the same one I've always used - dawnm5723.

Hi Dawn, I am typing to you right now from Joliet, as we have traveled all the way from Calif. to visit my in-laws...We passed the sign for the Brookfield Zoo, so I know you can't be far from here. We may take my niece and nephew there tomorrow.I took my kids there on Friday too! Did you hear Brooklyn screaming and me yelling at Jackson while you were there?

Wow Dawn, I just noticed the time you posted. Do you ever sleep?Not nearly enough. I miss sleep.

I love your blog and am a faithful reader! Can I please copy and paste your friend's cancer videos and petion into my blog (as well as your intro to this piece? I would love to help get word out. Of course I will give you credit link back to your blog.Absolutely!!!!!!! I should have written that. Everyone, please feel free to copy the videos and pass them on!

How come the search that deal with "body functions" lead to your blog?Maybe because bodily functions and kids go hand in hand. Or perhaps it's because I've been changing diapers for almost 14 years straight.(Just wait until I'm a bit older and need a colonoscopy!)

Dawn, sorry the second zoo trip wasn't quite as ... calm? as the first one. It always seems to happen that way, doesn't it? I must say that I admire your restraint, as I probably would have turned around and not gone to the zoo if little cartridges were flying around my car. Again, I'm a mean mommy!Yeah, I was tempted to do just that, but then it would have punished all my other kids who were behaving and it would have ticked off my sister who was meeting us there, you know?

I love the pictures. Thanks for posting. My apologies if you've answered this a dozen times, but how do you attach the photos? Do you upload to photobucket or a similar site? (Maybe you just tape them to your monitor?)I'm not sure I understand. I just click the little icon that looks like a picture and then insert them.

now that you mentioned your sister, i wonder how your family (parents, siblings) reacted to your pregnancies and you having a big(ger) family?They think I'm crazy.

The little bit we can see of your sisters face bears a strong resemblance to your own.Yep - add 3 inches to my height and take 50 pounds off her weight and we're the spitting image of each other.

Where are Lexi's glasses? And did she get a hair cut? She looks really grown up! I didn't recognize her at first.Wow! Good eyes! I'm impressed. She "forgot" her glasses that day and I didn't realize she didn't have them until we got to the zoo. If you look really closely at the picture of her on the leatherback turtle, you can see that her eyes are a little crossed. That's what happens when she doesn't wear her glasses even though she insists she can see without them.And yep, she got her hair cut short. It's cute and I don't have to fight with her to comb out all her tangles anymore!

And thank you for all your suggestions of pastry/alcohol combinations! Who knew there were so many of ua who think about reaching for cookies and beer after a stressful day!

Frozen Girl Scout cookies go fine with a good Merlot.

Beer and Cookies... Works for me!

I think the beer and cookie thing is an nice start. Now, have it served in Hawaii by a young, shirtless man that has a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp and you've got yourself a party!

30 comments:

Hi Dawn!! I really love your blog, if you dont make a post, I will keep clicking your blog the entire day :)I have been wondering for a long time, is the little girl from the St. Jude children's research thing Brooklyn? It's one of the commerical on the side of your blog. I think she looks like Brooklyn.

You seem to be very patient about people asking you why you would have a big family and how your family reacted etc... I have six children myself, and at times it really annoys me. When someone, who has no children, sarcastically says "Don't you know what's causing it? (the pregnancies)" I sometimes want to say "Yes I know what's causing it - would you like me to explain it to you so you can have a chance at being successful?"

I LOL at the story of Austin circling the fish instead of the table. I think a lot of people don't give preschoolers/kindergarteners enough credit. I teach pre-kindergarten classes and every once in a while we get a kid like Austin that makes us look at the world a little differently. Thanks for the good laugh.

Ok Dawn, I always read your SSOs, and this one absolutely cracked me up when I read the answer about Austin in kindergarten where he circled the fish instead of the table? My juice almost got spit all over my keyboard on that one, saved the keyboard, but since i put my hand in front of my mouth now its all over my nightgown...Thanks for the laughs!

I would like to post a link to your blog on my own, under a blogs that I am reading section, on blogger. Copying this link never works though. Is there a secret I don't know about? (Conspiracy theories abound!) I've not had trouble linking any other blog so I am puzzled.

Hey, I read what you said about Lexi and not wearing her glasses makes her eyes cross...ME TOO! It's annoying!! Hopefully she doesn't have it as bad, I (since the birth of my second) have got to wear my glasses all the time or I get headaches...from my eyes crossing. Dang astigmatism!! Lasik in a few weeks will hopefully knock that out...praying and crossing my fingers really hard on that one!

We finally got a Sonic in our town (Vancouver, WA) a month or so ago. It has been such a good thing. We went on vacation to Anaheim last year and fell in LOVE with Sonic. We were so sad we didn't have one and thought we never would because of our weather. We were wrong!!!

By the way - the kids complaining that they don't get junk food because of Jackson's diet... totally normal.But they may not realize that it's helping them feel better too.My sister whined for years about my mom's strict no-sugar diet for our family because of my kidney problems.Then my sister was diagnosed as a severe juvenile diabetic. A regular diet could have killed her.

Ok so, this is a bit scary.. but I decided to ask my husband that same question, and he looked at me like I had two heads when I asked him why he picked the fish? He said with that look like I was crazy.. "It doesn't have four legs". I think I now have an idea of who your son will be when he grows up :) He never will. my husband is ever the practical joker, he hides my cereal bowl while I get the milk, and I end up finding my bow of cereal in the fridge with milk already poured thinking I'm going crazy. He's truly hilarious, end forever young, but just funny how he gave me exactly the same response to that question.

Even scarier? I picked the fish too. my reasoning was that the fish was the only one that needed water. You'd think "to live" would have followed that thought, making me realise the table didn't fit, but no.

P.S. I'm a chocolate chip cookies with a good old tall glass of milk girl. I go through a box of cookies very fast some months.

And what the heck is Sonic? did I miss a post? I'm from Canada, so I've never heard of it.

I had an SSO question for you but by the time the comment window popped up, I'd forgotten it already. Do you suffer from Mommy Brain like I do? It started as Pregnant Brain and then morphed. I forget my kids names on an hourly basis now. At least they're good sports. My 8 year old will usually look at me and laugh when I go "YOU! What's your name again?"

Hi Dawn! I have another suggestion for cookies and alcohol. Take chocolate cookies (not chocolate covered ones, ones that will absorb liquids), alcohol of your choice like brandy, and whipped cream. Spread a piece of foil on the bench. Dip biscuits in the alcohol for a few seconds, long enough that the biscuits will be soft in a day or so, spread with cream, repeat, sticking them together in a log in the middle of the foil. When there are no more biscuits, cover log with cream, add grated chocolate, wrap up with the foil, put in fridge for a day or 2 (or less LOL). Rip the foil off, cut on diagonal to serve...or eat straight from foil if you're alone. My mum took this to a dinner party once, and it was mistaken for garlic bread and put in the oven! You can also do a kid's version using orange juice instead of alcohol :)

Here's some dialectical idiosyncrasies for you. In Kentucky we don't call carbonated beverages soda or pop. They're all "Coke", regardless of brand or type. In addition, all facial tissues are Kleenex.

I had to laugh at all the beer and cookies comments. We leave Santa beer and cookies at Christmas. My oldest (7) tells eveyrone this and we get very strange looks. I just tell everyone we're Irish and German (I am and by proxy the kids are from me), and they seem to understand.

I love your blog and think it'd be really fun to hang out with you. I actually live in Hawaii. If you'd like to come for a visit, I'd be happy to show you around and even give you a place to stay, in exchange for you making me laugh. I'm not sure all your kids would fit in my house, though, so maybe you could get them a hotel room :-)

AS A TEACHER I SAY AUSTIN IS QUITE INTELLIGENT. MAYBE AN ENGINEER IN THE WORKS!

I AM FROM THE SOUTH AND WE SAY POCKETBOOK, NOT PURSE AND EVERYTHING IS COKE. UPON MY MOVE TO FL...ONLY 5 HOURS FROM MY HOMETOWN MY FAMILY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK WHEN I PICKED UP ON THE WORDS "YOU GUYS" AND "SODA". THEY REALLY THINK I CAN'T SPEAK...ESP. SINCE THE THICK DRAWL HAS BEEN KOST.

Loved, loved, loved Austin's answer!! As a former middle school math teacher (no snide remarks or groaning), I would have started salivating if I had gotten an answer like that. What great fodder for classroom discussion! I used to love problems that had more than one answer or finding multiple ways to come up with the same answer. Anyway, just had to share!